Systems and methods for facilitating network requests

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating network requests regarding transit by users. One example computer-implemented method includes receiving a request for a subscription plan for a user from a communication device, where the subscription plan includes a subscription fee payable by the user for the subscription plan, and requesting issuance of a transit account from an issuing entity and provision of a credential specific to the transit account to a transit application implemented on the communication device. The computer-implemented method also includes initiating a transaction for the subscription fee indicated by the subscription plan from a funding account, associated with the user, to a common account and directing funds from the common account to the transit account, based on the subscription plan and the credential, thereby enabling the transit account to fund transit services consistent with the subscription plan at multiple different transit providers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/851,083 filed Dec. 21, 2017. The entire disclosure of the aboveapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and method for usein facilitating network requests with regard to transit.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Different transit options are often offered in a variety of city,suburban, or rural settings, including subways, busses, taxi cabs,ferries, etc. For use of the transit, individuals typically purchasepaper tickets, or passes, for the transit. More recently, the papertickets or passes have been supplanted with mobile versions thereof, inwhich unified gateways are provided through which transit may bepurchased. For example, a monthly subscription service may provide anindividual with access to one or more public transit services, where theindividual is able to use the service for a specific duration, aspecific numbers of “rides,” or a specific distance, where the cost ofthe monthly subscription provides for the rides or the distance. Inorder to provide this access for multiple different types of transit, ahost of the subscription service is required to interact and contractwith each of the different desired transit services to be used by theindividual, whereby the transit services will then permit the individualto ride and the host will arrange for payment to the different transitservices. With that said, as the geographic region of the transitservices grows, the host of the subscription service engages additionaltransit services to permit individuals to use transit through thegeographic region.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system of the present disclosuresuitable for use in facilitating network transactions between consumersand transit service providers, through a common account, whereby transitservices are then provided to the consumers by different ones of thetransit service providers;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computing device that may be used in theexemplary system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an exemplary method for facilitating network transactionsbetween a consumer and one or more of multiple different transit serviceproviders, through use of a common account, whereby the consumer is thenable to use transit provided by the one or more of the multipledifferent transit service providers, and which may be implemented in thesystem of FIG. 1.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description and specific examples included herein are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Consumers pay for transit services in a variety of different manners. Inconnection therewith, when “mobility as a service,” or MaaS,arrangements are provided by service hosts to the consumers, the hostsare required to individually interact with each of multiple differenttransit service providers to determine applicable terms and/orconditions of the hosts providing the consumers with access to the giventransit (as provided by the different transit providers). As such,depending on the geographic region of the transit, the hosts may bechallenged to contract with a large number of transit service providersto make the MaaS arrangements appealing to the consumers, and/or may belimited to the specific regions in which the hosts are present and/orthe consumers reside.

Uniquely, the systems and methods herein provide for use of a commonaccount by a consumer, as implemented by a service host, to pay fortransit offered by different transit service providers (or transitservice merchants). In so doing, the consumer is able to direct asubscription payment to the service host for the transit (and for use ofthe account), even in the absence of contract(s) between the servicehost and the providers. In particular, the service host is configured toissue a payment account for the consumer, which is specific to theconsumer. The payment account is funded, by the service host, at one ormore intervals based on a subscription type of the consumer. Then, whenthe consumer attempts to transact with a transit service provider, amobile application at a communication device associated with theconsumer is able to check a parameter of the transit service provider(e.g., a merchant category code (MCC), etc.), and to provide acredential associated with the payment account of the consumer to thetransit service provider when the parameter is configured. In turn, thetransit service provider initiates a payment account transaction for theinteraction, as is conventional, whereby payment is received for thetransit service via the payment account. In this manner, the servicehost leverages an unconventional payment account setup to fund theconsumer's transit, whereby the payment account is controlled by theservice host yet utilized by the consumer. The consumer is thus able toparticipate in the transit services provided by the host, by paying thesubscription fees (e.g., monthly, or through other payment intervalsand/or types of payments, etc.), still leaving the details of theinteraction to the service host, while the service host is not obligatedto make special arrangements with each of the different transit serviceproviders as is typically required.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100, in which one or more aspectsof the present disclosure may be implemented. Although the system 100 ispresented in one arrangement, other embodiments may include systemsarranged otherwise depending, for example, on travel options, transitoptions, accessibility of transit data, accessibility of user data,processing of purchase options for travel, etc.

The system 100 generally relates to travel and includes three transitservice merchants 102 a-c, an acquirer 104 associated with accounts foreach of the transit service merchants 102 a-c, a payment network 106,and an issuer 108, each of which is coupled to network 110. The network110 may include, without limitation, a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet, etc.), a mobile network, avirtual network, and/or another suitable public and/or private networkcapable of supporting communication among two or more of the partsillustrated in FIG. 1, or any combination thereof. For example, network110 may include multiple different networks, such as a private paymenttransaction network made accessible by the payment network 106 to theacquirer 104 and the issuer 108 and, separately, the public Internet,which is accessible as desired to the merchants 102 a-c, the acquirer104, the payment network 106, the issuer 108, and a consumer 112 (andmore specifically, a communication device 114 associated with theconsumer 112).

Each of the transit service merchants 102 a-c is generally associatedwith travel services, and transport of persons from one location toanother. In this exemplary embodiment, the transit service merchant 102a is associated with rail travel (e.g., travel by train, subway, tram,streetcar, trolley, metro, etc.) in one or more regions. The transitservice merchant 102 b is associated with bus travel. And, the transitservice merchant 102 c is associated with private travel (e.g., travelby taxi, ride service (e.g., Uber™ service, Lyft™ service, etc.), etc.).In general, the transit service merchants 102 a-c offer transit to usersin exchange for a fee, charge, and/or fare. For example, the transitservice merchant 102 a conventionally offers for sale and sells trainpasses, to users, per ride, for multiple rides, per duration (e.g.,weekly pass, monthly pass, etc.), and/or for unlimited rides, etc. Thetrain passes permit the purchasing users to travel in train(s)associated with the transit service merchant 102 a, as the train(s)travel from station to station. Similarly, for example, the transitservice merchants 102 b and 102 c conventionally offer fairs, passes,fees per ride, etc., whereby the users pay and the transit servicemerchants 102 b-c provide travel to the users from one location toanother.

It should be appreciated that while only three transit service merchants102 a-c are shown in FIG. 1, a different number of transit servicemerchants and/or different types of transit service merchants may beincluded in other system embodiments. Other types of transit servicemerchants may include, for example, boat or ferry operators, airplanepilots/services, helicopter pilots/services, charter services, etc.

In this exemplary embodiment, the system 100 includes the consumer 112as a potential user of the transit offered by the different transitservice merchants 102 a-c. The consumer 112 is associated with acommunication device 114. In this exemplary embodiment, thecommunication device 114 includes a portable communication device, suchas, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or a wearable device (e.g., anApple Watch® wearable device, etc.), etc. The communication device 114includes a network-based application, which is referred to herein as atransit application (or transit app) 116. And, the transit app 116 isprovided to configure the communication device 114 to operate asdescribed herein. That said, the transit app 116 may be a standaloneapplication within the communication device 114, or it may beincorporated into another network-based application such as, forexample, a virtual wallet at the communication device 114 (e.g., via asoftware-development kit (SDK), etc.), etc.

It should be appreciated that the acquirer 104 and the issuer 108 in thesystem 100 generally include one or more banking institutions, etc., andoperate in connection with processing payment account transactions,generally, as is conventional. That said, while only one acquirer 104,one payment network 106, one issuer 108, one consumer 112, and onecommunication device 114 are illustrated in FIG. 1, it should beappreciated that a different number of these entities and devices (andtheir associated components) may be included in the system 100, or maybe included as a part of systems in other embodiments, consistent withthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary computing device 200 that can be used inthe system 100. The computing device 200 may include, for example, oneor more servers, workstations, personal computers, laptops, tablets,smartphones, PDAs, etc. In addition, the computing device 200 mayinclude a single computing device, or it may include multiple computingdevices located in close proximity or distributed over a geographicregion, so long as the computing devices are specifically configured tofunction as described herein. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1,each of the transit service merchants 102 a-c, the acquirer 104, thepayment network 106, and the issuer 108 are illustrated as including, orbeing implemented in, computing device 200, coupled to the network 110.For example, the computing devices 200 of the transit merchants 102 a-cmay include, without limitation, one or more point of sale (POS)terminals configured to initiate payment account transactions based on,for example, payment account credentials, etc. provided in exchange fortransit services rendered, where the POS devices are then consistentwith computing device 200. In addition, the communication device 114associated with the consumer 112 may be considered a computing deviceconsistent with computing device 200. With that said, the system 100should not be considered to be limited to the computing device 200, asdescribed below, as different computing devices and/or arrangements ofcomputing devices may be used. In addition, different components and/orarrangements of components may be used in other computing devices.

Referring to FIG. 2, the exemplary computing device 200 includes aprocessor 202 and a memory 204 coupled to the processor 202. Theprocessor 202 may include one or more processing units (e.g., in amulti-core configuration, etc.). For example, the processor 202 mayinclude, without limitation, one or more processing units (e.g., in amulti-core configuration, etc.), including a central processing unit(CPU), a microcontroller, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aprogrammable logic device (PLD), a gate array, and/or any other circuitor processor capable of the functions described herein.

The memory 204, as described herein, is one or more devices that permitdata, instructions, etc., to be stored therein and retrieved therefrom.The memory 204 may include one or more computer-readable storage media,such as, without limitation, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), staticrandom access memory (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable read only memory (EPROM), solid state devices, flashdrives, CD-ROMs, thumb drives, floppy disks, tapes, hard disks, and/orany other type of volatile or nonvolatile physical or tangiblecomputer-readable media. The memory 204 may be configured to store,without limitation, transaction data, transit data, subscription typesand/or statuses, payment account credentials, and/or other types of datasuitable for use as described herein. Furthermore, in variousembodiments, computer-executable instructions may be stored in thememory 204 for execution by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202to perform one or more of the functions described herein, such that thememory 204 is a physical, tangible, and non-transitory computer readablestorage media. Such instructions often improve the efficiencies and/orperformance of the processor 202 that is operating as described herein.It should be appreciated that the memory 204 may include a variety ofdifferent memories, each implemented in one or more of the functions orprocesses described herein.

In the exemplary embodiment, the computing device 200 includes apresentation unit 206 that is coupled to the processor 202 (however, itshould be appreciated that the computing device 200 could include outputdevices other than the presentation unit 206, etc.). The presentationunit 206 outputs information (e.g., subscription status, subscriptionoptions, transit options and/or histories, etc.), either visually oraudibly to a user of the computing device 200, for example, the consumer112, etc. It should be further appreciated that various interfaces (asdescribed herein) may be displayed at computing device 200, and inparticular at presentation unit 206, to display such information. Thepresentation unit 206 may include, without limitation, a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED(OLED) display, an “electronic ink” display, speakers, etc. In someembodiments, presentation unit 206 may include multiple devices.

The computing device 200 also includes an input device 208 that receivesinputs from the user (i.e., user inputs) such as, for example,selections of transit, selections of associated users, instructions topay the transit service merchants 102 a-c, etc. The input device 208 iscoupled to the processor 202 and may include, for example, a keyboard, apointing device, a touch sensitive panel (e.g., a touch pad or a touchscreen, etc.), another computing device, and/or an audio input device.Further, in various exemplary embodiments, a touch screen, such as thatincluded in a tablet, a smartphone, or similar device, may behave asboth the presentation unit 206 and the input device 208.

In addition, the illustrated computing device 200 also includes anetwork interface 210 coupled to the processor 202 and the memory 204.The network interface 210 may include, without limitation, a wirednetwork adapter, a wireless network adapter, a mobile network adapter(e.g., an NFC adapter, a Bluetooth adapter, etc.), or other devicecapable of communicating to one or more different networks, includingthe network 110. Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the computingdevice 200 may include the processor 202 and one or more networkinterfaces incorporated into or with the processor 202.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the system 100 includes a service host 118,which is configured, by executable instructions, generally, to interactwith the transit app 116 (e.g., at the communication device 114, etc.)and to otherwise operate as described herein. The service host 118 isshown in FIG. 1 as a standalone part of the system 100, and is generallyconsistent with computing device 200. Alternatively, and as indicated bythe dotted lines in FIG. 1, the service host 118 may be incorporated, inwhole or in part, into the payment network 106 and/or issuer 108. Inaddition, the service host 118 is coupled to a transit data structure120, which may be standalone from the service host 118 or, as indicatedby the dotted line, may be incorporated in whole, or in part, with theservice host 118. The data structure 120 includes consumer profiles,subscription plans, etc. as will be described herein.

In this exemplary embodiment, the service host 118 is associated with anaccount for use as described herein (and referred to herein as a commonaccount). The common account may be issued by the issuer 108, or byanother banking institution, or otherwise, and is associated with and/orincorporated with the service host 118 (although this is not required inall embodiments). Similarly, the consumer 112 is associated with anaccount (referred to herein as a funding account), from which funds maybe deducted and/or transferred consistent with the description herein(e.g., in connection with payment account transactions or othertransactions by the consumer 112, etc.). The funding account, like thecommon account, may be issued by the issuer 108 or another bankinginstitution, or otherwise.

When the consumer 112 determines to subscribe with the service host 118for provision of transit (as described herein), the consumer 112accesses the transit app 116 at the communication device 114 (or, asneeded, initially installs the transit app 116 and then accesses it). Inresponse, the communication device 114, as configured by the transit app116, interacts with the service host 118 (e.g., via network 110, etc.).In particular, for example, the communication device 114, as configuredby the transit app 116, may retrieve one or more subscription plans fromthe service host 118 (as stored in the data structure 120) or receivethe one or more subscription plans from the service host 118, anddisplay one or more interfaces to the consumer 112, which lists and/orexplains the one of more subscription plans. In connection therewith,and as generally described herein, the consumer 112 has a commercialrelationship with the service host 118 (or the entity operating theservice host 118). Without limitation, several exemplary subscriptionplans are illustrated in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Subscription Plan Plan Inclusions Cost #1 15 bus rides  $15/week10 train rides #2 8 bus rides  $45/month 12 train rides 15.0 miles taxi#3 24 bus rides  $60/week 6.0 miles taxi 1 day light van use #4 10 trainrides  $30/week 5 days bike-share scheme use 10.0 miles taxi #5Unlimited bus $100/week Unlimited train 2 days sports car use

As shown, the subscription plan #1, for example, includes a mix of busrides and train rides and a cost per week, while subscription plan #2includes a mix of bus, train and taxi rides, and a cost per month. Inaddition, the subscription plan #3 includes bus rides and taxi rides aswell as a light van use. And, subscription plans #4 and #5 similarlyinclude different mixes of transit. As can be appreciated, the servicehost 118 may offer such different subscription plans (and others) toconsumers (including the consumer 112), each with different mixes oftransit, in attempt to accommodate and/or appeal to the different needsand/or desires of the consumers (e.g., city commuters may desire trainrides and bike share transit; tradesmen may desire bus rides andoccasional van use transit; affluent consumers may desire taxis, trains,and occasional sports car use; etc.). It should thus be appreciated thatthe particular subscription plans identified for the consumer 112 inTable 1 may be different in other embodiments, and may have differentinclusions by different transit service providers (merchants) in otherembodiments. For example, the plans may include different intervals,such as, for example, two weeks, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly,semi-annually, annually, etc. In addition, the plans may further includedifferent combinations of rides/services at different transit servicemerchants. For example, one subscription may be limited to train-typetransit service merchants (like, the merchant 102 a), while other plansmay include different types of transits services (such as subscriptionplans #1 and #2 in Table 1). In general, the consumer 112 is able toselect, via the transit app 116 and/or the services host 118, a plan towhich to subscribe which best fits the needs of the consumer 112.

What's more, while each of the subscription plans described herein isstored in the data structure 120, all or less than all of thesubscription plans may be provided by the service host 118 to thecommunication device 114. For example, the service host 118 may beconfigured to provide only certain subscription plans to the transit app116, based on one or more parameters associated with the consumer 112and/or of the transit desired by the consumer 112, etc. (e.g., location,expressed interest, etc.). Conversely, the communication device 114, asconfigured by the transit app 116, may retrieve only certainsubscription plans from the service host 118, again, based on one ormore parameters as described above. In still other embodiments, thecommunication device 114 may be configured to retrieve and/or theservice host 118 may be configured to provide all available subscriptionplans, whereby the consumer 112 may view the plans and select one ormore desired plans.

Thereafter in the system 100, the consumer 112 may select one of thesubscription plans in order to subscribe thereto. Prior to, or aftersuch selection, the communication device 114, as configured by thetransit app 116, may solicit certain consumer information from theconsumer 112, such as, without limitation, name, address, phone number,and details of the funding account (e.g., primary account number (PAN),expiration date, card verification code (CVC), etc.), etc. Upon receiptof the consumer information, the communication device 114, as configuredby the transit app 116, transmits a subscription request to the servicehost 118, which includes, in this embodiment, the received consumerinformation and the consumer's selection of one or more of the givensubscription plans.

The service host 118, in turn, is configured to compile and store aconsumer profile for the consumer 112 in the data structure 120 (e.g.,based on the consumer information solicited by the communication device114 and/or transit app 116, etc.). Further, the service host 118 isconfigured to transmit a request to the issuer 108, to issue a transitpay account for the consumer 112. In response, the issuer 108 isconfigured to issue the transit pay account and to identify the transitpay account to the service host 118 (whereby the transit pay account isgenerally maintained by the issuer 108 for the consumer 112, but withoutthe consumer 112 having separate access and/or control thereto). Thetransit pay account, again, is generally specific to the consumer 112,and thus, not generally usable by other consumers. Once issued, theservice host 118 is configured to add one or more identifiers,credentials, etc. of the transit pay account (e.g., a PAN, etc.) to theconsumer profile in the data structure 120. The issuer 108 is configuredto then provision a credential for the transit pay account to thetransit app 116, in the communication device 114 (whereby the transitapp 116 may operate as a payment application with regard to the transitpay account, etc.). In connection therewith, the transit app 116 isconfigured to securely store the payment credential for the for thetransit pay account associated with the consumer 112 by the service host118. For example, the issuer 108 may provision a credential for theconsumer's transit pay account to the transit app 116 over network 110(e.g., via a connection maintained by the communication device 114through the network 110, etc.). In connection therewith, the credentialmay include a token representative of the consumer's account, where thetoken may be created and provisioned by a service such as the MastercardDigital Enablement Service (MDES). Upon receipt of the credential, thetransit app 116 may then store the credential securely within the app116 and enable its use to make payments via the communication device 114(e.g., via NFC or Bluetooth payment capabilities of the communicationsdevice 114, etc.) that are funded via the transit pay account.

In the consumer profile for the consumer 112, or more generally, in thedata structure 120, the service host 118 is configured to compile rulesfor the consumer 112 for use of the transit pay account (generallyindependent of any input from the consumer 112, i.e., the consumer 112does not contribute to and/or choose the rules and/or the content of therules (e.g., the service host 118 generates and/or identifies the rulesfree of any input from the consumer 112)). The rules may include, forexample, a subscription fee date for the selected subscription plan,upon which a recurring payment is initiated (in a conventional manner)from the consumer's funding account to the common account whereby theconsumer 112 pays for the selected subscription plan (e.g., a recurringpayment of $45 per month, on the 10^(th) of the month, for selection ofsubscription plan #2 in Table 1; etc.). In addition, the rules mayinclude replenishment instructions for the transit pay account, whichmay indicate intervals of fund transfers and/or thresholds for suchtransfers of funds (from the common account to the consumer's transitpay account). For example, the rules may require a transfer of $12.50every Monday at 10:00 am, or more generally a transfer of $17.50 whenthe balance in the transit pay account falls below a $15.00 threshold.Or, as another example, the rules may require the transit pay accounthave a minimum balance that is enough to cover up to a day's worth ofrides (e.g., $50, etc.), and to replenish the account (e.g., overnight,etc.) when needed.

Then, upon initiation of the consumer's subscription with the servicehost 118 and consistent with the rules, the service host 118 isconfigured to direct at least an initial transfer of funds, from thecommon account, for example, to the consumer's transit pay account (in agenerally conventional manner). Thereafter, the service host 118 isconfigured to direct one or more additional transfers of funds, from thecommon account, for example, to the transit pay account, as indicated bythe subscription plan and/or rules included in the consumer profile forthe consumer 112 (again in a generally conventional manner).

Also upon initiation of the consumer's subscription with the servicehost 118, the service host 118 is configured to confirm the selectedsubscription plan(s) with the consumer 112 at the transit app 116. And,the communication device 114, as configured by the transit app 116, isconfigured to interact with the consumer 112 and the service host 118 toprovide the subscription plan details to the consumer 112, as well astransaction histories, etc.

Later, when the consumer 112 desires to use transit from one or more ofthe transit service merchants 102 a-c, and attempts such transit, theconsumer 112 accesses the transit app 116. In turn, the communicationdevice 114, as configured by the transit app 116, cooperates with and/orcommunicates with the computing device 200 at the given transit servicemerchant 102 a, for example, to facilitate the transit. Specifically,the communication device 114, as configured by the transit app 116,solicits merchant information from the computing device 200 for thetransit service merchant 102 a. The merchant information may include themerchant category code (MCC) for the transit service merchant 102 a, orother information indicative thereof. The computing device 200 isconfigured to respond with the merchant information, and then, thecommunication device 114, as configured by the transit app 116, verifiesthe merchant information either locally, based on, for example, acomparison of the MCC for the transit service merchant 102 a to alisting of permitted MCCs stored therein. For example, a listing of MCCsassociated with transit service merchants (in general) may be includedin the communication device 114 (via the transit app 116) as permittedMCCs, such that an MCC for a restaurant merchant would be not verified(e.g., if the consumer 112 attempted to use the transit pay account at arestaurant, etc.), while an MCC for a bus line would be verified. Inthis manner, the system 100 inhibits transactions from being funded bythe transit pay account, unless they involve a transit service merchant.What's more, in some embodiments, the permitted MCCs may be particularlylimited to the specific transit merchants included in the subscriptionplan selected by the consumer 112 (as opposed to simply including MCCsgeneric to transit).

While, in the illustrated embodiment, the merchant information receivedfrom the transit service merchant 102 a may be verified locally at thecommunication device 114. In other embodiments, the communication device114, as configured by the transit app 116, may instead provide thereceived merchant information to the service host 118 and, in turn, theservice host 118 may be configured to verify the merchant informationagainst permitted merchant information, for example, in the datastructure 120, and to confirm verification thereof back to the transitapp 116.

In any case, once the merchant information for the transit servicemerchant 102 a is verified, the communication device 114, as configuredby the transit app 116, passes the payment credential associated withthe consumer's transit pay account, as provisioned thereto by the issuer108, to the transit service merchant 102 a. And, the transit servicemerchant 102 a is configured to initiate a payment account transactionfor the desired transit, by compiling and transmitting an authorizationrequest to the issuer 108, via the acquirer 104 and the payment network106, as is conventional (and as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 1).The issuer 108 is then configured to approve, or decline, thetransaction and to generate and transmit an authorization reply to thetransit service merchant 102 a. If approved, the consumer 112 ispermitted entry and to proceed with the desired transit. If not (e.g.,if the transit pay account has insufficient funds, etc.), the consumer112 is not permitted entry and/or the transit is not provided to theconsumer 112.

In the above example, the transit service merchant 102 a may be anout-of-scheme merchant such that the service host 118 does not have adirect contract with the transit service merchant 102 a. However, asdescribed, the consumer 112 is still able to use funds associated withthe transit pay account to pay for transit provided by the transitservice merchant 102 a. The communication device 114, via the transitapp 116, simply functions as a payment device/application, drawing downsome of the funds already held by the service host 118 at the transitpay account for the consumer 112. Alternatively, for interactions by theconsumer 112 at transit service merchants that are in-scheme merchants(where the service host 118 has a direct contract for providing transitto consumers associated with the service host), the service host 118 maypay the in-scheme merchants for transit rendered in a conventional B2B(business-to-business) fashion (e.g., from the service host's commonaccount, etc.) under the terms of the direct contracts that they havewith the service host 118 (e.g., in the form of a monthly or biannualsettlement of charges, etc.). Thus, as can be appreciated herein, theservice host 118 facilities transit, through use of the transit payaccount, not only with in-scheme transit service merchants but also without-of-scheme transit service merchants.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method 300 for facilitating purchase oftransit. The exemplary method 300 is described with reference to FIG. 1as implemented in the transit app 116 and the service host 118, and alsowith reference to the computing device 200. However, it should beunderstood that the methods herein are not limited to the exemplarysystem 100 or the exemplary computing device 200. Likewise, the systemsand the computing devices herein should not be understood to be limitedto the exemplary method 300.

At the outset in the method 300, the consumer 112 is generallyregistered to the service host 118 and has the transit app 116 installedto his/her communication device 114. As such, the consumer 112 initiallyactivates the transit app 116 and requests, at 302, a subscription withthe service host 118 for use in purchasing travel through one or more ofthe transit service merchants 102 a-c. In turn, the transit app 116receives the request and transmits, at 304, the request to the servicehost 118. The request may include, for example, a selection of aparticular subscription plan, personal identifying information for theconsumer 112 (e.g., name, address, phone number, etc.), and,potentially, account information associated with the consumer's fundingaccount (issued to the consumer 112 by the issuer 108) for funding thesubscription with the service host 118. The selected subscription planmay include, without limitation, a particular term and/or a particularnumber of transit services (e.g., as illustrated above in Table 1,etc.). For example, the selected subscription plan may include plan #2of Table 1, which includes a monthly subscription, and twelve trainrides via the transit service merchant 102 a (or other train-typeservice provider), fifteen miles of taxi service from the transitservice merchant 102 c (or other similar private transit serviceprovider), and eight bus rides from the transit service merchant 102 b(or other similar bus-type transit service provider), etc.

Upon receipt of the subscription request from the consumer 112, theservice host 118 stores at least a portion of the content of the requestin a profile associated with the consumer 112 (which may includegenerating the profile for the consumer 112 if not already done).Specifically, for example, the service host 118 stores the name,address, and phone number for the consumer 112, the account credentialfor the consumer's funding account, and the selected subscription planin the consumer profile in the data structure 120. The service host 118further generates and/or identifies rules for the consumer 112, based onthe plan selected by the consumer 112, and stores the rules in theconsumer profile. As discussed above in the system 100, the rules maydefine a replenishment schedule for the selected subscription plan, etc.(e.g., where such schedule is generated free of any input from theconsumer 112, etc.)

In connection therewith, the service host 118 also requests issuance, at306, of a payment account, from the issuer 108, for the subscriptionand/or consumer 112 (i.e., the transit pay account) (e.g., independentof any particular request by the consumer 112, and without input fromthe consumer 112 and without the consumer 112 needing to make aparticular request, to the issuer 108; etc.). The transit pay account isassociated with the consumer 112 (e.g., such that the transit payaccount is only available for use by the consumer 112 for transit, etc.)and intended to fund payment account transactions for transit servicesprovided to the consumer 112 (e.g., in connection with the consumer'sselected transit plan, etc.). The issuer 108, in turn, then issues thetransit pay account for the subscription and/or the consumer 112, at308. The transit pay account, in this exemplary embodiment, includes aprepaid account, but may be a debit account and/or a credit account inother embodiments. In general, the consumer 112 does not know thetransit pay account exists.

Once the transit pay account is issued for the consumer 112 and/or theconsumer's selected subscription, the issuer 108 provisions, at 310, oneor more credentials for the transit pay account to the communicationdevice 114 associated with the consumer 112 (e.g., to the transit app116 and/or a corresponding virtual wallet, etc.). In addition, when thetransit pay account is issued, the service host 118 is notified of theaccount (e.g., by the issuer 108, the transit app 116, etc.), forexample, by payment account number (e.g., primary account number (PAN),etc.) and consumer name and/or identifier. The service host 118 thenstores the account number for the transit pay account in the consumerprofile in the data structure 120. Then, the service host 118 transfersfunds, at 312, to the transit pay account from the common account (e.g.,at the issuer 108 of the transit pay account, etc.), as indicated by thereplenishment schedule for the selected subscription plan (e.g., as aninitial transfer to the transit pay account, as a replenishment of fundsto the transit pay account, etc.). In connection therewith, thereplenishment schedule may indicate a weekly transfer, a bi-weeklytransfer, a monthly transfer, or another transfer according to one ormore other intervals. In addition, the replenishment schedule mayinclude and/or may be based on a threshold amount, such that thetransfer is initiated when the balance of the transit pay account fallsbelow threshold value (e.g., $100.00, $25.00, or some other thresholdvalue; etc.). As such, the transit pay account is funded for use by theconsumer 112, by the common account, to purchase transit services inaccordance with the subscription plan selected by the consumer.

Also in the method 300, at about the same time the consumer 112 selectsthe desired subscription plan (or otherwise), the service host 118initiates a payment account transaction for the subscription plan (andthe corresponding subscription fee), to be funded by the consumer'sfunding account (as identified in the consumer profile for the consumer112 in the data structure 120). For example, when the plan is a monthlypayment plan, the service host 118 may initiate a first payment accounttransaction upon selection of the plan, funded by the funding account,and then schedule multiple recurring transactions consistent with thesubscription aspect of the plan (e.g., on the fifteenth of each month(for as long as the consumer 112 is still subscribed to the plan and/orthe service host 118), etc.). Such transaction(s) are generallyconventional in nature, whereby the consumer 112 then has a commercialrelationship with the service host 118 and the funding transaction(s)may be any conventional transaction between the consumer 112 (andhis/her funding account) and the service host 118 (and its commonaccount) (e.g., direct debit, ACH, e-commerce “card on file”, etc.). Itshould be appreciated that the subscription fee associated with thegiven plan may be collected by the service host 118, in this manner, asindicated by the plan selected by the consumer, and deposited in thecommon account associated with the service host 118.

Thereafter in the method 300, the consumer 112 may interact with one ormore of the transit service merchants 102 a-c when desired to travelfrom one location to another. Upon entry and/or approaching a bus, ataxi cab, etc. associated with one of the transit service merchants 102a-c, for example, the transit service merchant 102 b, the consumer 112requests to pay for transit services associated therewith, at 314, viathe transit app 116 (or, alternatively, via a virtual wallet includingthe transit app 116, etc.). The consumer 112 may do so by launching thetransit app 116 at the communication device 114, by selecting to pay forthe transit service within the transit app 116, by tapping a POS deviceassociated with the merchant 102 b, for example, or otherwise (e.g.,installed in a platform gate-line array or at a boarding door on a bus,etc.). When the POS device is used to facilitate the transaction, thetransit app 116 interacts with the POS device by requesting merchantinformation for the particular transit service merchant 102 b (in thisexample), at 316. The transit app 116 may request a merchant ID for thetransit service merchant 102 a, an MCC, a DBA name, a merchant address,or other information that is indicative of the merchant 102 b. Inresponse, in this exemplary embodiment, the merchant 102 a responds, at318, to the transit app 116 (via the POS device in this example) withthe merchant information (e.g., the MCC for the merchant 102 b, or MCC4131 (bus lines); etc.). It should be appreciated that the merchant 102b, or other ones of the merchants 102 a, 102 c, or still othermerchants, will respond with whatever information the transit app 116has requested, whether as one or more different MCCs or merchant IDs,DBA names, merchant addresses, etc.

Next, upon receipt of the merchant information, the transit app 116determines if the transaction is permitted, at 320, based on themerchant information. Specifically, the transit app 116 determines ifthe MCC of the transit service merchant 102 b, for example, isconsistent with the subscription plan for the consumer 112 (and/or theconsumer profile, and one or more rules associated therewith; etc.). So,where the subscription plan in this example includes eight bus rides,twelve train rides, and fifteen miles of taxi cab rides (i.e.,subscription plan #2 of Table 1), the instant transaction at the transitservice merchant 102 b would be approved or permitted by the transit app116, because the MCC 4313 is for bus lines (i.e., a permitted type oftransit). As such, based on the permission, the transit app 116 (orassociated virtual wallet) transmits, at 322, the transit pay accountcredential (provisioned thereto) to the POS device of the merchant 102b. Conversely, if the consumer's selected subscription plan allowed onlytaxi cab rides, the transaction would be declined because the MCC 4131(for the merchant 102 b) is for bus lines.

The merchant 102 b then, at 324, compiles an authorization request forthe transaction and transmits the authorization request to the issuer108, via the acquirer 104 associated with the merchant 102 b and thepayment network 106 (as is generally conventional). Thereafter, theissuer 108 determines, at 326, whether to approve or decline thetransaction, for example, based on a balance within the transit payaccount. For purposes of illustration, in this example the balance ofthe transit pay account is sufficient to cover the transaction for thetransit service, and thus, the transaction is approved. As such, theissuer 108 responds, at 328, to the authorization request indicatingthat the transaction is approved. Upon receipt of the approval, theapproval is transmitted, by the merchant 102 b (e.g., the POS device,etc.), at 330, to the transit app 116, whereby it is displayed to theconsumer 112 at the presentation unit 206 of the communication device114.

While the example transaction is described above as being permitted andapproved, this is not required in all embodiments. Specifically, forexample, when the transit app 116 requests merchant information from aPOS device (in connection with attempting a transaction at a merchant(not shown) using the transit pay account), and the merchant respondswith the MCC 5812 (Eating Places and Restaurants), the transaction willnot be permitted (by the transit app 116) because the merchant isunrelated to transit. In other words, the transit app 116 generallyincludes a “white list,” in this embodiment, of permitted MCCs. When theMCC returned from the merchant, in connection with an attemptedtransaction using the transit pay account, is not on that list, thetransaction is not permitted, and an error, warning or decline ispresented to the consumer 112, at the presentation unit 206 of thecommunication device 114. Similarly, when the merchant is a transitservice merchant, but not one within the subscription plan of theconsumer 112, the transaction may likewise not be permitted, and anerror, warning or decline presented to the consumer 112, at thepresentation unit 206 of the communication device 114.

With that said, in general the service host 118 may be viewed as amobility or transit merchant that receives a stream of recurringpayments (e.g., by direct debit or any other desired transaction, etc.)from the consumer 112, and then funds payment for transit by theconsumer 112. The recurring payments to the service host 118, however,are all the consumer 112 sees and/or is aware of in connection withfunding transit for his/her selected subscription plan. The consumer 112is not aware that the transit pay account exists (e.g., such that theaccount is a hidden virtual prepaid account, etc.) or that the servicehost 118 replenishes the account as needed (where the replenishmentamount/schedule is independent of the recurring payments made by theconsumer 112 to the service host 118). In addition, the consumer 112does not contribute to and/or make decisions regarding replenishment ofthe transit pay account (and/or other rules relating thereto). Theconsumer 112 generally only selects the subscription plan such that theonly thing the consumer 112 knows about with regard to the desiredtransit is the monthly subscription to the service host 118. It is thenthe service host 118 that decides, based upon risk analysis of consumer112 and/or his/her spending behavior and/or future transport needs,etc., how much to fund to and how often to replenish the transit payaccount (and/or to implement other rules for the transit pay account).In other words, the consumer 112 does not both select the subscriptionplan and the replenishment schedule (or other rules related to thetransit pay account).

In connection therewith, the service host 118 may have various directcontracts with in-scheme transport providers (e.g., in-scheme merchants,etc.) and will pay the contracts for services rendered in conventionalways (as opposed to every consumer registered to the service host 118having contracts with the transport providers). For example, servicehost 118 may pay the in-scheme transport providers for transportrendered in a conventional B2B fashion under the terms of the directcontracts that they have with the service host 118 (e.g., in the form ofa monthly or biannual settlement of charges, etc.). What's more, herein,the consumer 112 is also able to use funds associated with the transitpay account to pay for rides on transport providers outside the scheme(e.g., out-of-scheme merchants, etc.) with whom the service host 118 hasno direct contracts. Here, the transit app 116, via the communicationdevice 114, functions as a payment device/application, drawing down someof the funds already held by the service host 118 at the transit payaccount for the consumer 112.

Again and as previously described, it should be appreciated that thefunctions described herein, in some embodiments, may be described incomputer executable instructions stored on a computer readable media,and executable by one or more processors. The computer readable media isa non-transitory computer readable storage medium. By way of example,and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM,EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tocarry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

It should also be appreciated that one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure transform a general-purpose computing device into aspecial-purpose computing device when configured to perform thefunctions, methods, and/or processes described herein.

As will be appreciated based on the foregoing specification, theabove-described embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented usingcomputer programming or engineering techniques including computersoftware, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof,wherein the technical effect may be achieved by performing at least oneof the following operations: (a) receiving, at a computing device, arequest for a subscription plan from a user; (b) requesting, by thecomputing device, issuance of a transit account from an issuing entity,whereby, upon issuance of the transit account, a credential associatedwith the transit account is provisioned to a transit applicationassociated with the user; (c) directing, by the computing device, fundsfrom a common account to the transit account, at the issuing entity,based on the subscription plan, thereby permitting the user to engage intransit services funded by the transit account consistent with thesubscription plan at multiple different transit providers; (d)initiating a recurring transaction for an amount indicated by thesubscription plan, to a funding account associated with the user, at aninterval indicated by the subscription plan; (e) determining, by thecomputing device, when a balance of the transit account is below adefined threshold; (f) directing, by the computing device, additionalfunds from the common account to the transit account, at the issuingentity, thereby permitting the user to engage in transit servicesconsistent with the subscription plan and funded by the transit account;(g) for a transaction initiated by the user at a merchant using thetransit account, determining, by the computing device, whether amerchant category code (MCC) associated with the merchant is associatedwith a permitted MCC for the transit account; (h) when the MCCassociated with the merchant is associated with a permitted MCC for thetransit account and when the merchant does not have a direct contractwith a transit service host, directing funds from the transit account tothe merchant in connection with the transaction initiated by the user atthe merchant; (i) for a transaction initiated by the user at a secondmerchant using the transit account, determining, by the computingdevice, whether a MCC associated with the second merchant is associatedwith a permitted MCC for the transit account, the second merchant havinga direct contract with the transit service host; and (j) when the MCCassociated with the second merchant is associated with a permitted MCCfor the transit account, directing funds from the common account to themerchant in connection with the transaction initiated by the user at thesecond merchant.

Exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” “coupled to,” “associated with,” included with,” or “incommunication with” another element or layer, it may be directly on,engaged, connected or coupled to, associated with, or in communicationwith the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers maybe present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various features, these features should not be limited by theseterms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one feature fromanother. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms whenused herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated bythe context. Thus, a first feature discussed herein could be termed asecond feature without departing from the teachings of the exampleembodiments.

None of the elements/features recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for use infacilitating network requests, the method comprising: receiving, at acomputing device, a request for a subscription plan for a user from acommunication device, the subscription plan including a subscription feepayable by the user for the subscription plan; requesting, by thecomputing device, issuance of a transit account from an issuing entityand provision of a credential specific to the transit account to atransit application implemented on the communication device, the transitaccount specific to the user for purchase of transit services;initiating a transaction for the subscription fee indicated by thesubscription plan from a funding account, associated with the user, to acommon account; and directing, by the computing device, funds from thecommon account to the transit account, based on the subscription planand the credential, thereby enabling the transit account to fund transitservices consistent with the subscription plan at multiple differenttransit providers.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising initiating a recurring transaction for an amountindicated by the subscription plan, from the common account to thefunding account associated with the user, at an interval indicated bythe subscription plan.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: determining, by the computing device, that a balanceof the transit account is below a defined threshold; and directing, bythe computing device, additional funds from the common account to thetransit account in response to determining that the balance of thetransit account is below the defined threshold.
 4. Thecomputer-implement method of claim 1, wherein the transit accountincludes a prepaid account.
 5. The computer-implement method of claim 1,further comprising, for a transaction initiated by the user at a firsttransit provider using the transit account, determining, by thecomputing device, whether a merchant category code (MCC) of the firsttransit provider is a permitted MCC for the transit account based on thesubscription plan; and in response to the MCC of the first transitprovider being a permitted MCC for the transit account, directing fundsfrom the transit account to the first transit provider in connectionwith the transaction initiated by the user at the first transitprovider.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein thecomputing device is associated with a transit service host.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising, for atransaction initiated by the user at a second transit provider using thetransit account, determining, by the computing device, whether a MCC ofthe second transit provider is not a permitted MCC for the transitaccount, based on the subscription plan; and in response to the MCC ofthe second transit provider not being a permitted MCC for the transitaccount, declining to direct funds from the common account to the secondtransit provider in connection with the transaction initiated by theuser at the second transit provider.
 8. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein directing funds from the common account to thetransit account based on the subscription plan includes replenishingfunds in the transit account using funds in the common account based onat least one rule determined free of any input from the user.
 9. Asystem for use in facilitating requests by users for transit, the systemcomprising a service host, which is configured to: receive a request fora subscription plan for a user from a communication device, thesubscription plan including a subscription fee payable by the user forthe subscription plan; request issuance of a transit account from anissuing entity and provision of a credential specific to the transitaccount to a transit application implemented on the communicationdevice, the transit account specific to the user for purchase of transitservices; initiate a transaction for the subscription fee indicated bythe subscription plan from a funding account, associated with the user,to a common account; and direct funds from the common account to thetransit account, based on the subscription plan and the credential,thereby enabling the transit account to fund transit services consistentwith the subscription plan at multiple different transit providers. 10.The system of claim 9, wherein the service host is configured, for atransaction initiated by the user at a merchant using the transitaccount, to determine whether a merchant category code (MCC) of themerchant is permitted by the subscription plan.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein the service host is configured, when the MCC of the merchantis permitted, to direct funds from the transit account to the merchantin connection with the transaction initiated by the user at themerchant.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transit accountincludes a prepaid account.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein theservice host is configured, in connection with directing funds from thecommon account to the transit account, to replenish funds in the transitaccount using funds in the common account based on at least one rule ofthe subscription plan determined free of any input from the user. 14.The system of claim 13, wherein the service host is further configuredto initiate a recurring transaction from the common account to thetransit account for an amount indicated by the subscription plan at aninterval indicated by one or more rules for the transit account.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executableinstructions for use in facilitating requests by users for transit,which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to: receive a request for a subscription plan for a user froma communication device, the subscription plan including a subscriptionfee payable by the user for the subscription plan; request issuance of atransit account from an issuing entity and provision of a credentialspecific to the transit account to a transit application implemented onthe communication device, the transit account specific to the user forpurchase of transit services; initiate a transaction for thesubscription fee indicated by the subscription plan from a fundingaccount, associated with the user, to a common account; and direct fundsfrom the common account to the transit account, at the issuing entity,based on the subscription plan and the credential, thereby enabling thetransit account to fund transit services consistent with thesubscription plan at multiple different transit providers.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theexecutable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor,further cause the at least one processor to: determine a replenishmentschedule, based on the subscription plan, to replenish funds in thetransit account using funds in the common account independent of anycontemporaneous input from the user; and replenish funds in the transitaccount using funds in the common account based on the replenishmentschedule.